Raging Flames
by Olivia-Ivy
Summary: Leonard Valdez has led an ordinary, selfless life. Until the day of his Choosing Ceremony. He's thrust into a world of screaming crazy people who shoot muffins for fun. Should be interesting. *-Caleo-* *Percabeth-* *-Jasper-* *-Implied Frazel-* *-Kind of Divergent crossover-* *-Not really-* *-Read to find out-* *-Sorry for the cliche title-*
1. Chapter 1

** Okay, so! First attempt at a full-length story. This is (sort of) a Percy Jackson/Divergent crossover. I will use all Percy Jackson characters, but if I run out of usable characters, I'll start using Divergent characters/ask for OCs. Hope you all like it!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Quiet. If someone asks me about my home, I'll say, it is quiet. What else is there to say? It's a typical Abnegation home. Quiet.

I would also say small. There are two bedrooms, one for my parents and one for my brother and I to share. There is one small bathroom (a shower with terrible water pressure and cold water, a sink with no hot water, and a toilet). The dining room is the largest room, the kitchen barely there at all.

But I can't say "My home is small," even if someone asks. That would be selfish. People from Abnegation aren't allowed to be selfish.

And frankly?

That's a load of crap!

I'm sorry, technically speaking, Abnegation children shouldn't know that word, but I'm not a typical Abnegation child. Where most Abnegation my age will spend their days helping elderly citizens to their destinations, going hours out of their way to do so, I prefer to only help when others are looking. That's what I do, I am the good little Stiff everyone expects me to be, that I have to be. When I'm alone . . .

"Leonard, Mother and Father made breakfast," My brother, Charles, softly told me, waking me from my thoughts and much needed sleep. That's the thing about Abnegation; if nothing else, we are amazingly passive-aggressive, and great guilt-trippers. Now I feel bad, because my parents went through the trouble of preparing a meal for the two of us, and here I am, stopping all of them from eating, because they are all selfless enough to wait for me to wake up.

All that, from one sentence. Isn't Abnegation great?

Charles left the room to let me get dressed. I took a quick, cold shower, and put on my gray tunic, my gray pants, and my gray shoes. Abnegation is the "colorful" faction.

In the dining room, my mother, father, and brother sat at the table, respectfully waiting for my arrival.

"I apologize," I quickly bowed my head and sat in my seat.

"It is perfectly fine Leonard," my mother, Esperanza, assured me, giving me a small smile. My family began to eat. "Hephaestus, what are your plans for today?" Mother asked my father, turning to him.

"Atlas is calling a meeting between the factions today, securing last minute details before the Choosing Ceremony."

Ah, the Choosing Ceremony. A beacon of hope and a dark abyss of doom at the same time. Either stay with what you know and remain in the faction you've lived in your whole life, or leave and join a new faction, being shunned by your family, and, basically, anyone who knew you before that.

The most important day in anyone's life.

Today is the day of the aptitude tests. All sixteen year olds go through the test, and it determines which faction you belong in. Easy as that. I think. I have no idea what the test will be like. Hopefully not like tests at school, I always fail those. This is the one test I can't afford to fail. I do not want to be factionless.

"Leonard, what are your thoughts on today's test?" My father politely asked me. Charles stayed silent at his side, unable to voice his opinion. He took the test, and chose, four years ago. Many members of Abnegation would have chosen to live on their own, but my father's knee is injured, so Charles stays to help around the house, like a good Abnegation son/brother should. Charles wasn't allowed to tell me anything about the test, nor were my mother or father.

"I am nervous, as is to be expected," I answered, "however, I believe I will be fine. Were you nervous before your tests?" I added, seeing how self-oriented my answer was.

My mother gave me an approving smile. "Just let the test work, and you will be fine, Leonard."

My father gently put his calloused hand on hers. My parents are perfectly selfless. They can answer a personal question without answering a personal question. It is an art, and they have perfected it.

"Leonard, I'll take you to school today." Charles (selflessly) offered. I could tell he wanted to talk to me, but in Abnegation, it was next to impossible to have a private conversation. 'Because private conversations are selfish. If something needs to be said, share it with everyone.' (Something Abnegation parents teach their kids before they teach us to walk)

We finished our meal in polite (selfless) conversation, and Charles and I left our small, quiet home.

We walked among the mass of gray-clad faction members on our way to the center of our city. People nodded and smiled politely. We nodded and smiled politely back.

The mass of selfless people stopped where the bus came by. Charles let an elderly woman go in front of us while we waited.

"So what did you want?" I asked him once we got on the bus. He grinned.

"Can't a guy take his baby brother to school?" he joked.

"Charles, just tell me, I'm not really in the mood."

"Leo, you need to loosen up. Live a little, have fun."

"I'd rather not."

"Look, I get that you're nervous, just . . . don't sweat it." He offered me a reassuring smile, but I still felt like barfing up my oatmeal.

"It's easy for you to say. All you've ever been is selfless."

He shook his head and frowned. "Life isn't black and white, Leo, trust me."

Yeah, that's not ominous or anything. The rest of the bus ride was spent in relative silence. At school Charles got off the bus with me and joined the mass of faction members milling around. I headed for hell- er school.

On my way into school, I always had to pass other faction members and students. Most of them were obnoxious. Like today. Two Dauntless were yelling and pushing each other. One had shaggy brown hair, green eyes and a lot of tattoos. The other had blonde hair with a part of it shaved off. They were both laughing, shouting profanities at each other without a care in the world.

An Erudite walked by. She had blonde hair and scary eyes. She walked while reading a thick hardcover book. She pushed the shoulder of the brown haired Dauntless. "Oh shut up, Percy."

He grinned at her, stupidly. "Aw, what's the matter _Annie Belle_? Do you want us to use longer words than-" he went off, saying every four letter word under the sun. From the teasing tone in his voice when he said 'Annie Belle', I'm guessing that's not her name. She rolled her eyes and walked away.

On her way, she bumped into me. She glared at me as she dropped her book. The selfless thing to do would be to pick it up for her. But she gave me a cold, "Idiot Stiff," and picked it up herself. This earned me a dirty look from the brown haired Dauntless, I think she called him Percy.

What a great day. And the day hasn't even started yet.

* * *

I shook my leg. Or is it called bouncing? I don't know, I'm a nervous wreck. See, this is where other factions are the luckiest. Their tests are handled by Abnegation members, who selflessly volunteer. Abnegation children don't have that luxury (we don't have any luxuries, but whatever) because it would be a conflict of . . . something, I don't listen to the teachers. So our tests are last and some other faction member does our tests.

I was sitting in a hallway in the school with two other Abnegation. Two girls who grew up near me, Piper McLean and Hazel Levesque. They're strange. For starters, Piper. She and I are friends. Sort of. It's hard to make friends with someone when you're both too selfless to talk about ourselves. She is too pretty to be in Abnegation. I don't mean it like _that_, she's like a sister to me. But her eyes change colors, and her brown hair could be nice if she was allowed to do anything to it. I've seen guys drool a little when she goes by, even Erudites. And Hazel. I don't really know her that well. She has dark skin and hair and yellow eyes. She's my age, obviously, but she looks thirteen. And at the same time, she acts, like, eighty. I just don't get her. She says I remind her of her ex-boyfriend, Sammy. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult.

Anyway, a door on the hall opened and an Amity woman poked her head out.

"Levesque?" they called. Hazel stood up and started for the room. She was almost there when another door opened. Another Amity leaned out and gestured to Piper. She walked into the room.

After about five more minutes another door opened. I stood up as a Dauntless guy looked out.

"You Valdez?" Okay, not fair. They get Amitys and I'm stuck with the scary guy?! I nodded at him. He walked back into the room. And he's not even friendly. Great.

I followed him in the room. There was a weird chair, like they have at dentist offices. There was a small tray set up next to it, also like at the dentist.

"Am I here for the test or a filling?" I joked, hoping to lighten the mood. He glared at me. This guy, for lack of a PG term, gives me the freakie-deakies.

He had midnight black hair, like, it couldn't get any darker, and black eyes. His skin was pale, like he hasn't seen sunlight in a week. I could see tons of tattoos all over his arms and neck. He had a ring-piercing-thing going through one of his eyebrows and a stud just below his lower lip. Everything about him screamed Dauntless.

"Sit," he commanded. Okay, be a jerk.

"Don't I get a hello?" I asked. At this point I was trying to be difficult.

"Hello. Sit."

He was scaring me so I sat. He pulled over a small stool and sat in front of a computer screen. He started talking again in the same monotone, bored voice he's been using.

"My name is Nico, I'll be administering your aptitude test. Relax and drink this," he reached over and took a small glass filled with a clear liquid from the tray. He handed it to me.

"Can I know what I'm drinking?"

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Yes. Can you answer me now?"

Nico sighed. "It's a serum that will start the test. Now drink."

I was getting no where with this guy so I downed the serum. If you're ever out with friends and don't know what to get to drink, I do not recommend the serum. It tastes like plastic mixed with antiseptic (don't ask how I know what that tastes like).

I gagged a little and leaned back in the chair. For whatever reason, I was tired. Hey, nothing's happening and Nico isn't exactly a great conversationalist, so what harm could a quick nap do?

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I couldn't fall asleep so I opened my eyes. When I did, I wasn't in the room with Nico anymore. I was in the school cafeteria. But it was different somehow, I can't explain it. Is this some kind of dream?

I looked around and froze as I heard a growl behind me. I slowly turned around and saw a wolf baring its fangs at me. Oh crap.

"Heh heh, nice doggie." I said backing up. It followed me, snarling and growling. My back hit the wall. Yeah, with my luck, that's about right.

I looked behind me. This wasn't just a wall, it was the wall that opened into the kitchen. I jumped over into the kitchen and ran to the back. I heard the wolf growl louder and I'm pretty sure it jumped over, too. So basically, I'm screwed.

I looked around me. _Think Leonard, think_. There was nothing there but a broom and some pots and pans. That . . . and the oven.

I grabbed the broom and held it in front of me. The wolf was taking its sweet time getting to me. Like, _I'm gonna eat this scrawny kid, but I'm gonna screw with him a little first_. Wolves have sick senses of humor.

I turned on the stove that was on the oven and stuck the straw part of the broom over the flame. The dry material instantly caught on fire and I swung it at the wolf. It backed up and whimpered.

I kept it in front of me as I walked out of the kitchen. The wolf seemed to be afraid of the fire. Good, because I was running out of broom to burn, fast.

I made it out to the cafeteria when I had to drop the broom. The flames were getting too close to my hands. That's when I saw the girl. All I'm sure of is that she was a girl, around seven or eight, and she was wearing a white dress. I couldn't make out any facial features. I mean, she obviously had them, I just couldn't tell what they were. She had eyes, but I don't know what color. She had skin, but I couldn't tell if she was pale or tan.

She giggled. I looked at her. "What are you doing here kid?" I asked her.

"What are you doing here kid?" she echoed. I frowned.

"I'm like twice your age, I'm not a kid."

"I'm like twice your age, I'm not a kid."

"Stop that!"

"Stop that!"

The wolf turned from me and faced the girl. It snarled at her and crouched low. She didn't move.

"Get out of the way, move!" I called.

"Get out of the way, move!"

_She's not going to move_, I realized. The wolf launched itself at her and I jumped at it. I had wrapped my arms around it just as it was about to reach the girl.

And then I woke up.

I snapped my eyes open and saw Nico looking over me with wide eyes.

"Get out of here," he said.

"What?"

"Out. Now."

"Why?" I asked him. He typed something in the computer and stood up fast, almost knocking over the stool. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

"Listen Leonard," he grabbed my shoulders and looked me right in the eyes. It kind of freaked me out. "The test didn't work."

"What?" _Literally_, the only advice my family gave me was to let the test work _and it didn't work._

Nico kept talking as he led me out of the room, through a back exit. "They call it Divergent. Your entire existence is dangerous. You tested equally for Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. I changed the result on the computer to Abnegation. The safest thing for you to do is to stay there. You can't tell anyone about this, not even your family." He pushed me out a door and I blinked in the harsh sunlight. "Go home, and be careful."

He went back into the school without so much as a goodbye. I looked at the door. I had a thousand questions. What the hell just happened? What's Divergent? Why am I dangerous? How am I Erudite? Seriously, _how_?

I shook my head and started the long trek back to my small, quiet house in Abnegation.

* * *

** It's going to mostly follow Divergent, don't yell at me if I get stuff wrong, it's been forever since I read it. About Beckendorf being Leo's brother, I was going to make it Sammy, but I figured I can make it work better if it was him. DON'T WORRY I HAVE A PLAN. **

**Props to anyone who figures out who the girl is. She's based off a Heroes of Olympus character, NOT just the girl from Tris's test.**

**Read, review, all that jazz, hope you liked it!**

**Write on!**

**~Olivia-Ivy**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Oh, my god, I am so happy! The feedback I got for this story is so much better than I could have hoped, thank you all!**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, life got in the way. And it is now officially summer vacation! I am no longer an eighth grader in the worst public school system in the country, I AM A FRESHMAN!**

**I'm sorry, I just_ really_ hate some of the people in my town and I'm going to a vocational high school that covers five towns (including my own) and I won't ever have to see those mother duckers again!**

**You don't want to hear about my personal life, you want to read fanfiction!**

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**Chapter Two**

So, I almost had a heart attack on my way home. I kinda wish I did, just so I wouldn't have to choose the next day. Yes, if my options are die or choose, I choose die.

Anyway, I took the long way home so it wouldn't seem weird that I got done early. I had checked my watch when I left. Only three minutes had passed.

I mulled over everything that happened. My results made sense, if I thought about it a little. It was smart of me to think of using the broom and fire to fight of the wolf, and brave and selfless of me to try and save the little girl. Still, I'm not happy about Erudite. I can't even get good grades in school, I'm not going to study for fun for the rest of my life.

But Dauntless . . . How many times have I watched them jump off the train and wondered what that'd be like? How many times have I been scared crapless by a single glance at some of the more extreme members?

I tried to imagine myself as Dauntless. I hadn't seen my reflection in a month, so it was difficult. I pictured my unruly curly hair grown out. It reminded me of an afro. I tried to think of my elfish face with piercings in it. It scared me. I looked down at my gray fabric covered arms. I thought of them covered in ink. It seemed cool, but I knew how much tattoos hurt.

That leaves Abnegation. Spending my days selflessly helping people who don't want/need my help. Seeing nothing but gray forever. Can I really do that? Stay there my whole life and never know how other people live?

I wasn't paying attention where I was walking and I almost walked into a wall for the fourth time this week. Someone pulled me back and I snapped to attention.

"You okay Leo?" Piper asked. She was standing next to me, her hand still on my arm where she grabbed me.

"Yeah, thanks Pipes," I thanked her. Even though Abnegation doesn't allow nicknames, my brother and Piper always call me Leo, even my mother and father if they're in a good mood. I call her Pipes just to get on her nerves.

She let go off my arm and we both started walking. We walked in comfortable/awkward silence for a while. I wanted to ask her about her test, to see if it was just me who was Divergent. But talking about the test isn't allowed.

"You're not staying either, are you Leonard?" Piper asked. She said it quietly, just above a whisper, but it had been so quiet between us that I almost forgot she was there.

"Hm? Uh, I . . ." I stuttered. She smiled, almost sadly.

"It's okay, sorry about that Leonard. See you tomorrow." She turned and walked into a small gray building identical to the ones around it. I didn't even realize it, but we had reached her house in Abnegation. I shook my head, as if to clear my thoughts, and walked back to my house.

* * *

At home, my whole family was there. My father and brother were looking over some papers at the dining table and my mother was re-sewing a shirt of my father's that had been re-sewed too many times in the living room. She looked up when I walked into the living room.

"Hello Leonard. Are you alright? You look shaken," my mother put down my father's shirt and walked to me. She put her hand on my forehead and I thought about what was running through my head. Something dangerous, apparently.

I gently pushed her away. "Yeah, Mother, I'm fine." I went to the kitchen and sat across from my brother. He grinned at me.

"Hey Leonard, you wanna help me and Father with some paperwork?" Charles half-joked. I thought about my father sitting in a room with other faction leaders until the meeting was over, my father and the other Abnegation leaders volunteering to take the brunt of the work home with them. Looking at the piles of papers covering the table and knowing that my father volunteered for this, made me rethink Abnegation as a faction. This is fun to them - sorry, _us_.

"Oh! Almost forgot," Charles continued, probably seeing the look on my face. "I washed some of your clothes with mine, they're folded on your bed."

"I'll put them away now. Thank you Charles," I sent him a grateful smile and went to our room.

For the record, the only clothes of mine in the room were in the overflowing laundry basket. Good thing about Abnegation, every single piece of clothing in this entire faction looks the same. No one can tell if you wear the same thing twice. Or three times, or four, or however many times I've been wearing this tunic.

I flopped on my bed. That's the thing about quiet homes; you have too much time to think. I really wasn't in the mood for another identity crisis/small mental break, but luckily Charles came in at that moment.

"Leo, you okay?" he asked as he walked in. I sat up and rubbed my face.

"I don't even know Charles." I admitted. "How- What- I just-" I struggled to find a way to ask Charles about my problem without telling him about my problem. "How can one test change so much?"

He chuckled. "Thus is the beauty of modern society, little brother. One choice can change your whole life."

I nodded. "No kidding. It wasn't that way with you though."

Charles frowned. He shut our door and sat on his bed. "Leo, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked him, shifting on my bed.

"It's about why I chose Abnegation." I stiffened when he said that.

"You got Abnegation for your test result, right?"

He hesitated. "No," he admitted. My eyes widened in shock. "But I still chose to stay."

"Why?" I didn't mean to sound rude, but he had a chance to leave. Why didn't he?

"So you wouldn't have to," He answered. "One of us would've had to stay to help Father around the house and with his work, and we both know it wasn't going to be you. You are the perfect Abnegation son when you need to be, but you can't spend your whole life living a lie. I can."

I was speechless for a minute. "You ... You stayed here just for that?" He nodded.

"'Course I did. I'm the big brother, I'm supposed to make sacrifices for you. Like I said, not everything is black and white." he grinned and laughed lightly. "Sometimes it's just gray."

I laughed. "Yeah, guess so."

We were quiet for a minute until he spoke again. "Really though, Leo. Are you alright?"

I shook my head and tried to wave it off. "I'll be fine Charles."

"Alright. If you're sure Leonard. I'm going back to help Father. Call me if you need anything."

I nodded and he left. I ran a hand through my too-curly hair and sighed. Just me and my thoughts again.

Now that I'm here, Abnegation is looking less and less glamorous (not that it was an amazing option to begin with, but you know what I mean). I thought more about Dauntless. As dangerous and frightening as it initially seemed, there are some aspects that seem more fun than anything. Jumping off trains and doing what I want when I want. I could be selfless, or I could be brave. Or I could be smart, but that doesn't seem that fun.

Someone knocked on my door. "Leonard," my mother softly called from the other side of the door. "It's yours and Charles's turn to cook dinner."

Good. As evidenced earlier, I can't think and do something at the same time, like walking, or cooking. If I focus on that, I can ignore the problem a little longer.

* * *

I completely destroyed dinner. So much for that idea. Jeez, I suck at having ideas. So, faction scores so far:_  
_

Dauntless/Abnegation:0

Erudite: -1573784

Should be an easy decision.

* * *

**Okay, kind of a filler. I was going to put in the Choosing Ceremony, but it was too long. Choosing Ceremony next I promise!**

**Read, review, favorite, all that stuff!**

**Write on!**

**~Olivia-Ivy**


	3. Chapter 3

**OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY. RADIO SILENCE FOR 2 WEEKS. I DIDN'T MEAN TO!**

**I was at Girl Scout camp for two weeks and helping my dad move and a thousand other legitimate excuses. I have no other plans for the summer, but I do have a social life, no matter how small and tiny it is. I will _TRY_, emphasis on try, to update twice in this month, maybe more. **

**I hope people still read this. ****To those of you who do, don't hate meeeeeeee. I'm sorry I'm like Steven Moffat when it comes to adding new parts in a series. Don't hate me, Please read, review, favorite, follow, all that.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Aside from my family trying (and failing) to make me feel better over the processed too-dry piece of crap that was my horrible attempt at dinner, the rest of the day was quiet and selfless. I helped my mother with some chores around the house, I helped my father (attempt to) organize all the spare gears, springs, and metal things in his workshop, and I actually did my laundry. I immediately got dressed in fresh sleep clothes since ... I can't even remember. That's sad.

I told my family I had a headache (not really a lie) and went to bed early. I just laid in my bed for a minute or two until my mother came in the room.

"Leonard?" she asked before entering. She sat on the edge of my gray bed and smiled at me. "Are you okay, _hijo_?*****"

"Yeah Mother," I said, sitting up in bed. "I'm fine, just tired."

She put the back of her hand on my forehead (because that's the extent of my mother's medical knowledge) and frowned a little. "You don't look fine."

We both sat there for a few moments. We both wanted to talk, but she was too selfless to speak first, and I couldn't tell her what I wanted to.

"You can talk Mother," I (selflessly) offered.

She gave me a small smile. "I was just going to say ... You can talk to me about anything."

"I know Mother," I nodded.

"Leo," she started slowly, surprising me with the use of my nickname. "Even if you transfer tomorrow ... your father and brother and I ... we'll still love you."

I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat and nodded. "I know Mother," I repeated. Would they still love me if they knew I'm Divergent?

She studied my face for a moment longer then nodded. "Did you want to say something?"

I shook my head. "Uh, no, no. Just ... thank you. You and Father for everything."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight Leonard," my mother stood and left the small gray room.

I turned over in my bed and tried to sleep. Charles came in, but I didn't feel like talking. I stayed still until he turned off our light.

That night I dreamed of wolves, the little girl from the simulation, and dehydrated, processed, brown vegetables that were once carrots.

* * *

The Choosing Ceremony. As much as I wished the sun would just stay set, and not rise to mock me with its cheery light, it did. Tomorrow became today, and there's no more time for me to stall and put this moment off. One thought stuck out in my jumbled, half-asleep mind: I have to choose, _today_.

I groaned and tried to keep my eyes shut to block out the mocking sun. It didn't work. That damned thing woke me as soon as the first rays shone through my small window. At 6 in the morning. Not fun.

I went downstairs and attempted to make an edible breakfast. This time, even in my sleep-deprived haze, I managed to make an okay breakfast. By Abnegation standards, that is. Still, it was pretty good.

My brother came down to the kitchen, then my mother, then my father. From the bags under Charles's eyes, I'm guessing he didn't sleep much either. We make polite conversation, not mentioning today, but not avoiding the topic either. The whole day passes in a blur, and before I know it, I'm being herded into the Hub with most of the members of Abnegation.

I would've gotten lost in the mass of gray, if not for Charles's grip on my shoulder. My father can either part the seas with his bad knee and cane, or he makes the seas collapse in on itself when all the selfless gray drones try to help him. That day was the latter.

I tripped at one point, and Charles just lifted me up by my shirt and kept walking. That slowed us down enough so that Piper and her father caught up. Piper gave me a small smile that I tried to return. Tried. I couldn't stop thinking about her words yesterday.

_"You're not staying either, are you Leonard?"_

Piper is leaving. Leaving her father who cried when her older sister transferred to Dauntless. Leaving her life in Abnegation where she had a family, and friends. Leaving that for what? Books and intelligence, harsh truthfulness, calm peacefulness, or daring bravery? I'm thinking of leaving too, but to just outright say it is …

"Leo, Earth to Leo," Charles snapped his fingers in front of my face. I blinked and looked around. We (the whole faction, with the exception of the elderly and handicapped, like my father, who can't climb stairs well) were climbing the endless staircase, drone after gray and dull drone. Everyone here is too selfless to take the elevator, so it's up God knows how many stairs we go! It's easiest to just forget it all and think of something else, it keeps the fatigue away.

The faction of selflessness arrived in the room where the Choosing Ceremony would take place. Everyone filed into an empty seating section, giving the first seats to the elderly and injured. This was an instance where my father creates a wide path because of his knee. His cane (which he barely uses anymore, except for events involving a lot of walking, like this) glints in the lights, giving us even more room in the sea of gray. My family and I sat in the front row, giving my father easy access to leave the room when he needs to.

I bounce my leg and tap it nervously. It feels like every nerve in my body has been set alive. I look around the room, looking for any familiar face. Five rows behind me and three seats to the right, I see Hazel Levesque with her mother. She looked nervous, excited, and there's a slight sadness in her gold eyes. Her mother was putting on a brave face, but anyone who saw the two of them thought the same thing: Where's her dad?

The answer is, no one knows. Some say he was killed. Some say he _has_ killed. Everyone knows he stole from his job before Hazel was born. After that, he simply disappeared. Most people think he became factionless. Not even Abnegation would keep him after what he did. I tried to ignore them, along with most other members of Abnegation, but children and teenagers spread rumors and make them worse; it's a fact of life. Hazel never had a father growing up, or many friends. I wondered if she would stay to face the gossip for the rest of her life, or if she would transfer and try to start over.

My eyes traveled through the crowd of blue next to the section of Abnegation. I briefly saw a woman with dirt colored hair and eyes that look half-asleep. The leader of Erudite. Genine Aea. She'd never liked the idea of Abnegation having more power than other factions - specifically Erudite - and my father warned me to stay away from her. She'll play dirty, use the leaders' families to get to them. I watched her a second longer before a large Candor blocked my view. I shook my head and faced the stage, just as the leader of Abnegation, Jonathan Atlas, cleared his throat.

Everyone quieted down and found a seat with their faction. Atlas began with the long speech that I have heard sixteen times now. I know it pretty well, so I didn't pay attention to it. i let my mind settle on the one subject I didn't want it to: what faction I'm going to choose. The process of choosing goes in reverse alphabetical order by last name. Valdez is pretty close to the end, so I don't have much time to think. I couldn't even think about my options before Atlas started calling names.

"Frank Zhang," He boomed. I watched as a big burly Dauntless guy stood and approached the stage. As far as Dauntless goes, this guy did not look at all like you're typical train jumping lunatic. The only thing that identified him as Dauntless was his black clothes. No tattoos, no piercings, nothing weird with his hair. This guy looked normal. He took the knife from Atlas with shaking hands. Even though I could see he didn't fit in in Dauntless, it was still a shock when his blood landed on the soil of Amity. Practically everyone in the room mumbled to the people around them, almost drowning out Atlas as he announced, "Amity."

Eventually people quieted down and the Ceremony continued. There were three people between me and that first kid. I have no clue if they transferred or stayed in their factions, or what their names were for that matter. I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my heartbeat. Despite that, when Atlas calls, "Leonard Valdez," it was the loudest thing in the room.

I manage to calmly walk up to the stage, which is a miracle in and of itself. I face the five bowl on the table. Looking away from the three on the right side, I face the burning coals and gray stones side by side. Moment of truth and I was no closer to a decision than I had been yesterday. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. It didn't work

_Okay Leo,_ I thought to myself, _just cut your hand, close your eyes, and let it fall where it falls._

Granted, not the best plan, but it was a plan. So I did just that. I cut my hand, closed my eyes, and let my blood fall.

The whole room was silent as a sizzling sound filled the air.

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*** _hijo_ means 'son' in Spanish. I don't know if Spanish exists in that version of Chicago, but I couldn't write this without putting in a cute moment with Leo and his mother.**

**Before I get a flood of reviews asking why Frank chose Amity, I have reasons: 1.) in my mind he will always be the cute little marshmallow who goes over the river and through the woods to his grandma's house. 2.) I'm already putting in a good amount of characters that are crucial to this story, and cuts needed to be made. Don't worry, he'll come back. 3.) Next chapter, you'll see. 4.) It's my story, I do what I want.**

**For those of you who are still reading this, THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER!**

**Write on!**

**~Olivia-Ivy**


	4. Chapter Tobias

**Hi! I actually updated within the same month! Woo-hoo!**

**So I managed to write this during an allergist appointment where the lady with shaky hands poked me with 48 needles. I counted. Needles would probably be the only thing in my fear landscape, that's how much I hate them. That was two days ago and my arms still itch from the things I was allergic to. And I probably need to go in for weekly allergy shots now! ****Not fun. **

**Right now I'm at my grandmother's house waiting for my cousins to come over for a big barbeque. Most of my cousins make me want to strangle them. Also not fun.**

**Hope you enjoy chapter Tobias!**

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**Chapter Four**

Remember when I said the room was silent? Technically not a lie. It was quiet; for about one second. Then, complete chaos. The Abnegation section muttered pretty loudly and everyone shifted in their seats. The Dauntless section was different. They were yelling, screaming, shouting. Though, I think that was in excitement. They don't care who joins their faction, just that somebody joins.

I didn't want to look at my family, but I did anyway. Why? Because I'm an idiot. My father looked angry, not at me, though, or at anyone in particular. He just seemed ... angry. My brother was grinning at me, and when he saw me looking at him, he gave me a thumbs up. My mother ... she seemed proud. No idea why though, she should've been angry, or disappointed.

I didn't get a chance to think about it, I needed to get off the stage so the ceremony could continue. While Atlas was calling for quiet, I walked down (without tripping; woo-hoo!) and stood behind the rows of Dauntless. I was the second Dauntless initiate, and the other guy was a Candor. I didn't feel like getting insulted, so I just stood there as the ceremony went on.

I didn't really pay attention to the ceremony. Four people joined me, two already in Dauntless black, the former Candor and an Erudite. I didn't bother noticing anything about them, because by the time I realized they were there, Atlas called a familiar name.

"Piper McLean."

I watched as she climbed the stage. She kept her chin held high, her kaleidoscope-like eyes stared straight ahead. She needed to put on a brave face, she was leaving her faction. I looked over to the Abnegation section. I could see the side of Piper's father's face, pride written all over it. He had no clue.

The only way I could describe what happened next: a train wreck in slow motion. Piper took the knife from Atlas. She stared at it, like she was looking at her reflection. She turned away from the cold, gray stones of Abnegation. Her father looked confused. She faced the flames of Dauntless. I gasped softly in unison with her father. I barely heard her blood hit the burning coals.

The guy standing furthest from me, the Erudite, whistled lowly. "Two Stiffs in one go? Didn't realize it sucked that much."

He might've been talking to the Dauntless guy, or the Dauntless girl, standing next to him, but the Candor responded.

"Hey, who cares, it's a chick," I saw the Dauntless girl roll her eyes when he said that. As Piper got closer to the line of initiates, the Candor spoke again. "And a hot chick at that." This time, I rolled my eyes.

Piper stood next to the Dauntless girl. The two of them started talking in low voices and I couldn't hear what they were saying. She didn't look at me.

I looked over at the Candor. He was taller than me and was wearing a million-dollar smirk while he stared at Piper. Oh great.

The ceremony continued and I watched the stage instead of the Candor or Piper. A few more people chose, then Atlas called Hazel up.

Hazel all but ran up to the stage, and cut her hand over the Amity bowl as fast as she could. She waited for Atlas to announce Amity, then she left the stage.

"Glad to see that one was too cowardly to join," the Erudite remarked.

Piper turned and glared at him. "Shut up smart ass."

The Erudite looked shocked. Frankly, so was I. Here is Piper - little, innocent Piper that I grew up with - calling out an Erudite. We were all silent until the Candor spoke.

"Nice. Girl Stiff's got some spunk. I like it." He winked at her, and Piper looked like she was resisting the urge to hurl. He gave her that same smirk, reached across me, the Erudite, and the two Dauntless to hold his hand out to her. "I'm Dylan. Dylan Ventus."

She looked at his hand like its very presence insulted her. A Candor girl standing two people away from Piper scoffed. "Dylan, back off, you're creeping her out."

Dylan took his hand back, but continued staring at her shamelessly. I was trying to burn holes through his head with my glare. I was shaken out of that by the sound of Dauntless screaming and cheering. All Atlas had done was say the guy's name, "Percy Jackson."

The guy bounded up the stage and took the knife from Atlas. He proudly chose Dauntless and high fived his friend who was still sitting on his way up to where we were all sitting. The Dauntless didn't calm down for a while. Apparently this Percy guy is real popular.

The ceremony went on, with more people joining the line of initiates. By the time the last name was called, I had lost count of how many people were there. Dauntless was the first faction to leave. The whole faction jumped up with a loud cry and rushed for the exit. All the initiates followed. I glanced at Piper and she smiled at me.

"Race ya Leo," she said, then took off running with the sea of black-clad Dauntless. I was right behind her.

We ran down the endless staircase, screaming and shouting with the rest of our new faction. The Dauntless made even that fun and crazy. We rushed outside into the sunlight and stood near the train tracks. Some of the members kept glancing at the transfers and snickering.

"Well, we were going to have to do this eventually," I said to Piper. She nodded. Both our gazes were locked on the train approaching in the distance.

The train came closer to where everyone was standing. Some of the older members started running towards the train and everyone else followed. By the time Piper and I caught up, most of the faction and half the initiates were on the train. We both ran as fast as we could. The last car of the train was coming and we needed to get on. Piper was faster than me, she managed to reach the train first. Someone's hand was sticking out, so she grabbed it. The person pulled her up. As soon as she was on the train, she turned around and held her hand out to me.

"Leo, come on!" She yelled. The person, I was pretty sure it was a guy, held out his hand again. I grabbed both their arms and launched myself onto the train. I landed flat on my front and got the wind knocked out of me.

"You alive man?" a guy asked while I struggled for breath.

"Ask me ..," I wheezed, trying to sit up, "again … in five minutes."

He laughed, then grabbed my armpits and pulled me up so I was sitting against the train wall next to Piper. He sat on the other side of me, right next to the open train door. I took a closer look at him. He was the blond Dauntless guy I saw yesterday before my test, the one with part of his hair shaved off.

"Thanks," I said. He held out his fist and I bumped mine against it.

"Don't mention it. But you're going to have to learn to do it yourself. I'm Jason, by the way," he grinned at me, but his gaze kept flickering to Piper.

"Leo. And the girl you keep staring at is Piper. Nice to meet you Jason."

Piper blushed. Jason leaned forward and smiled at her. He held his hand out to her. "Hey. I'm Jason."

She shook his hand. "Hi. I'm Piper," she said and smiled back at him. I sighed.

"Hello, I'm Leo," I said with a big grin as I turned to Piper. She looked confused so I explained, "Well I assumed we were all just introducing ourselves twice."

Jason sniggered and Piper rolled her eyes and tried to stifle her laughter. "You think you're funny Repair Boy, but you're really not."

"Repair Boy?" Jason asked.

Piper laughed. "Nickname from Abnegation," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I gently pushed Piper as I remembered how I got that nickname. "Laugh it up _Beauty Queen_."

She stopped laughing immediately. "You promised to never call me that again."

I smirked, knowing I had won, "And you promised not to call me Repair Boy."

Jason just looked at us. "What?" he asked.

"Nope, not doing this," Piper groaned and put her head in her hands. Jason turned to me.

"You're telling me the story later," he said. I nodded and smiled at the memory.

The three of us talked for a while during the train ride, then others in our car stood up. We all stood up and went to the car door. I watched as we passed the roofs of several buildings. The tracks were insanely high up.

"What now?" I asked Jason. He looked excited, anxious, and his eyes were fixed straight ahead.

"Now we jump," he said over the wind.

Piper and I both stared at him. "What?!" she yelled.

"Jump!" he repeated, thinking she couldn't hear him. He pointed to the front of the train. All three of us leaned out to see Dauntless members leaping from the train to a building. Across a gap that was easily seven-feet.

"You're insane!" I told him. He grinned and gave me a thumbs up. Piper took his hand. We both looked at her.

"If I fall," she said seriously, "you're catching me."

He stared at her for a moment, then his face broke into a small grin. "Sure thing."

They were both staring into each other's eyes, and were obviously having a _moment_. But, since I'm me, and I _live_ to ruin _moments_, I butted in with, "You're catching me too, but I ain't holding your hand."

He laughed and nodded. "Okay. You guys ready?"

"Nope."

"Oh hell no."

He laughed again. I was starting to think he was a maniac. "Let's go!" He yelled, and the three of us jumped off the train.

My stomach lurched as I flew for point-two seconds, then started falling. For a terrifying split-second, it didn't look like I was going to make it. But I landed on the hard gravel of the roof on my side with my feet dangling off the edge. I scrambled to safety on the roof and looked around for Jason or Piper. They were both fine, trying to catch their breath from landing on their fronts. I walked over to Jason on shaky legs. "You alive man?" I asked him. He propped himself up on his elbows and glared at me with a small smile on his face.

"Shut up Leo," he said. I glanced over at Piper.

"Hey Pipes?"

"Yeah?" she responded.

"You're alive, you know. You can let go of his hand." It was then that the two of them realized they were still holding hands. They pulled their hands away and looked at everything but each other. I just laughed.

When they got their breath and dignity back, we looked around. There was a Dauntless guy struggling to hold something over the edge of the roof. I heard him say "Never," before he pulled a girl in Erudite blue clothes into the roof. She fell into his arms and he held her for a second.

"Yo Percy!" Jason called to him. Percy looked up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, we're good. You go ahead."

Jason nodded. We went over to a large crowd of Dauntless on the other side of the roof.

"What was the deal with those two?" I whispered to Jason, asking about the Dauntless guy and Erudite girl who were now standing in the group with us. There was a person standing at the front of the group. We were in the back of the group so I could barely see who was talking. I heard the guy talk about bravery, or something.

"Oh, that's Percy and Annabeth. Even though they were in different factions, they started dating. They're still together, apparently."

"So who wants to go first?" the guy said in a booming voice.

Something people learn about me very quickly: I'm an idiot. The fact that my aptitude test said Erudite is unbelievable. So, when a_ normal_ person hears a question like that when they don't know what's going on, they don't volunteer. I do.

I raised my hand over the crowd of Dauntless, and everyone moved aside. In front of me, I saw the ledge of the roof, and nothing else.

_I'm going to have to jump, aren't I?_ I thought grimly. Everyone was looking at me. I had to do something. So, I did the first thing that I thought of. I ran towards the ledge and jumped off the roof.

I'd like to say that I fell as manly as one can when falling off a freaking roof. Not true at all. I screamed like a little girl.

My face and front hit something scratchy that dipped then shot back up. I flew a little then fell down again. I vaguely registered the fact that I wasn't dead and I was resting on a cargo net. There were hands around the net, and I crawled (albeit with difficulty) to the nearest hand. The person attached to that hand pulled me out of the net.

"You okay kid?" the person, a girl asked. She had honey colored hair in a braid over her shoulder. She wore a black t-shirt and jeans. She didn't have any visible piercings, and I could see black ink on the sides of her neck

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, my stomach's still up on that roof, but I'm fine."

She didn't even smile. "What's your name?"

"Leo. What's yours?"

"First jumper!" she turned to all the Dauntless around the net, "Leo!"

She turned back to me. "Welcome to Dauntless. Try not to die."

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**Leo is the first jumper! Go Leo!**

**I made a "Lost Hero" and a "Mark of Athena" reference. Points to anyone who gets them!**

**To anyone confused by "Dylan," I needed a character to be Peter and Dylan was the first *insert name for male genitalia here* that I thought of.**

**I'm making Jason more confident because he actually _has_ his memories and he is Dauntless born.**

**Alright, I'm going to try and stand being with my family. Wish me luck!**

**Write on!**

**~Olivia-Ivy**


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